The present invention relates to a composite jewelry article, and more particularly, to a composite jewelry article comprising a selectable stud and a selection of radial armed pieces, mountable on the stud, superposed upon each other creating a unitary article of jewelry. The composite jewelry of the present invention can be in the form or an earring, a tie tack or a pin, for instance.
The present invention opens new vistas for jewelry marketing. The jeweler provides a selection of studs and jackets from which the purchaser may then select and create a personalized composite article of jewelry. The purchaser may select an assortment of studs and jackets and create new articles for wear from the selection, or select a single combination and use that continually.
The radial arms of the jackets provide a platform for an infinite variety of stones or gems. The stones or gems mounted on the arms elevate the surface of the arms so that stacked jacket arms substantially maintain their position between the arms of the jacket upon which they are stacked. The stud holds the jackets firmly together. The stud may be tightened against the jackets by a conventional screw closure or clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,438 discloses a pin device or a stud that can be used to hold an assortment of jewelry findings in stacked relationship. Position is maintained in one embodiment by interrelating dimples and cups in the plate-like elements of the device. In other embodiments, small supplemental throughpins achieve the positioning effect. In all of these embodiments, special additional structure must be provided, in addition to the decorative structure to maintain position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,661 discloses the conventional stacking of jewelry parts held together with a conventional press-fit pin and stud. The parts in the stack are rotatable and make no provision for being held in substantially fixed position.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,610,487 and 2,433,711 are typical prior art references for variable jewelry, where changes or substitutions can be made to vary the standard jewelry unit. The systems are complex, and do not assemble, based upon an assemblage of simple but variable prototypes.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,613,393, 2,733,578, 2,682,759, 2,190,778 and 915,678 are typical of complex prior art efforts to provide various forms of variable jewelry.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a composite jewelry article. comprising a selection of prototypical components, including a selected stud and a selection of stackable radial armed jackets having decorative stones or gems which may be precious or semiprecious.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a selection of jewelry jackets with mounted stones or gems which substantially nonrotatively stack on a stud.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a jewelry jacket with radial arms adapted to stack with other jewelry jackets with radial arms, which lie between the radial arms of the lower stacked jacket.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an infinitely variable composite jewelry piece adapted to selectively function as an earring, a tie tack or a pin.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a radial armed jewelry jacket for a composite jewelry piece adapted to hold a selected stone, or stones or gems, on the radial arms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stud for a composite jewelry piece adapted to hold a selected stone or gem.